Africa-Press – Botswana. French forward for Real Madrid, Karim Benzema, awarded for a season in which he scored 49 goals in 53 official games for Real Madrid and the French national team, being decisive in winning the Champions League and the Spanish League, was distinguished yesterday with the Golden Ball, in a ceremony carried out by the French magazine France Football.
The French forward had a dream 2021/22 season, during which he scored 49 goals in 53 official games for Real Madrid and the French national team, being decisive in winning the Champions League and the Spanish League, having also been the top scorer of these two competitions, with 27 and 15 goals, respectively
Benzema became the second oldest player ever to win the Ballon d’Or, two months and two days away from celebrating his 35th birthday.
The Frenchman will still be a long way from England’s Stanley Matthews, the first winner of France Football in 1956, when he was 41 years old and representing Blackpool, but Russian goalkeeper Lev Yashin and Argentine Lionel Messi, who received the trophy the year they turned 34.
For the first time, the award recognizes the best footballer during the sporting season and not in the calendar year, as has been the tradition since the first edition in 1956.
Since the creation of the Golden Ball in 1956, the Portuguese Eusébio (1965, with Benfica), Luís Figo (2000, with the Spanish team of Real Madrid) and Cristiano Ronaldo (one with the English team of Manchester United and four for the Real Madrid.
At the same ceremony, Barcelona forward Alexia Putellas made history by becoming the first woman to win a second Ballon d’Or.
At the same time, midfielder Gavi, also from “Barça”, won the Kopa Award, given to the best player under 21 years old.
Senegalese forward Sadio Mané, who in 2021-22 represented Liverpool, but who now wears the Bayern Munich jersey, was distinguished with the Sócrates Award, which aims to recognize initiatives in favor of social inclusion, development of the environment or helps people in precariousness or victims of conflict.
Pole Robert Lewandowski, who now represents Barcelona but who played for Bayern last season, was awarded the Gerd Muller trophy, given to the player with the most goals during the 2021-22 season.
Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid) was named the best goalkeeper in the world, while Manchester City were awarded the best club of the year award.
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